Project Eden
by The-Storm-Unleashed
Summary: Daniel was always Warren's favorite. Warren Vidic was known for his experiments and created Daniel Cross in his image, to become the perfect soldier. But what Daniel did not know, was that Warren created a companion for Daniel. An Eve for Adam.
1. Prologue

_**Hi Everyone, welcome to my new story. I came up with this one and thought I would post it for everyone to enjoy. Please let me know what you think in the review section!**_

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 **Project Eden**

 **Prologue**

 **Nicole Edwards**

The woman bounces her legs on the chair nervously as she holders her purse tightly in her lap, trying to hide her swelling belly. Her eyes search around the clinic to find nothing but young girls with the look of fear painted on their faces. They are babies themselves. Almost all the girls have someone with them: a disinterested friend reading the magazines, a terrified boyfriend on edge, and a mother scolding their child for being reckless. Yet here she sits, a distinguished woman in her 40s, surrounded by frightened children having babies of their own.

Her eyes lock on a girl sitting across from her. Like her, the girl does not have anyone accompanying her. The girl's posture does not show that she is scarred, and paints a portrait of a disinterested teen, wanting to be somewhere else. Had it not been for the girl's massive belly, the woman would have thought she was here for support.

The girl feels the woman's eyes on her and when she does, they lock eyes. The woman quickly looks away, and when she does the girl smiles and stands up. The girl wobbles to the woman and sits down right next to her.

She smacks her gum in the woman's hear and says "You're a bit old to be in a place like this." The woman swallows harshly unable to respond to the girl. "I always thought women your age wanted babies, but couldn't have them." The woman tugs on her purse trying to hide her belly.

The girl looks around the clinic, then leans in and whispers "I hear they are taking the kids and training them to be assassins for the government."

The woman looks down at the girl, trying to hide her discomfort at the situation. "You have a very grandeur perspective of this place." She says trying to sound disinterested in the girl's story.

The girl exhales and slumps into her seat. She fidgets in her seat for a moment, then looks back at the woman, "I'm Mariah."

The woman looks back at the girl, "Nicole." She simply says.

Mariah looks down at her belly, holding and rubbing the child inside. "It's a boy." She says with a smile, "They haven't told me yet, but boy is he a kicker. I know he is just waiting to get out." She rubs her belly again then looks back at Nicole, "What about you? What are you having?"

"I don't know." Nicole says distantly. Ever since she decided to give away the baby, Nicole had been disinterested in the whole pregnancy.

"I'm sure you haven't been tested, but what does it _feel_ like you're having?" Nicole again says she does not know, and Mariah rolls her eyes. She places her hand on Nicole's belly, Nicole recoils at the girl's touch, but is in too much shock to push the girl away. After a moment of thinking she says, "It's a girl."

"How do you know?" Nicole asks with morbid curiosity.

Mariah shrugs, "I don't know. It's a 50/50 shot." Nicole frowns at the idea that the girl does not have a sense for these things and just took a wild guess.

The woman watches as the girl smiles down at her belly, rubbing her stomach and slightly humming to her belly. The woman is shocked at how connected the girl is to the child. Looking around, all the girls, including herself, are disinterested in their swelling bellies. If the girl is so interested in the child, Nicole questions why she is in this clinic signing paperwork to have her child given up for adoption. The woman looks over at the girl, and without realizing it, she asks out load, what she is thinking, "Why give it up if you want it so much?" The woman bites her lips instantly regretting her words to the young girl.

The young girl shrugs Nicole's harsh and inquisitive question and says, "Sometimes you have to stop thinking about yourself and think about what's better for others." Nicole swallows hard at the comment, unable to wrap her mind around the fact that a teenager unable to buy her own lottery ticket is more understanding than she is.

"Where's your boyfriend…or...whoever…." Nicole asks awkwardly, regretting asking the question.

Mariah lets out a rye laugh than says, "There was no boyfriend. Just an ass who didn't know what 'no' means."

Nicole gets hot at the answer and feels lightheaded. She instantly regrets asking the girl about her situation and should have known that in a place like this, it wasn't out of the questions for a girl giving up her child to be a rape victim.

Nicole stumbles on her words, scrambling to find an apology in them, but Mariah stops her with a soft chuckle. "It's okay. You're not the only one to ask. And you didn't ask if I was drunk or teasing him, so you're better off than everyone else." Mariah sighs and Nicole's heart breaks at the torment this young girl must have received.

Mariah learns back in her chair and places her head up against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. She lets out a sigh and says, "That's why I chose to give him up. I live in a shitty trailer, in a shitty town, full of trashy people. If I brought him into this world, he would end up just like _him_. I want better for my son." Mariah looks at Nicole with bloodshot eyes. "I want some rich broad buying him Tommy Hilfiger boat shoes and taking him to their summer home where he rides horses and plays with chickens or something." She lets out a chuckle that gets caught in her throat under a sob. "I just want someone to love him more than they loved me."

She looks down at her belly and Nicole doesn't know what to say. She is driven to tears at the sight of the young girl. Nicole is shocked at how caring the young girl is, more so than her. Nicole places her hand on the young girl's belly, feeling the child move inside her. "He is going to have a beautiful life." Nicole says with a smile. "Someone will love this boy unconditionally."

Before Mariah can say anything the nurse comes out and calls, "Miss Edwards?" Nicole looks back at Mariah who is wiping stray tears from her eyes. Nicole gives her a reassuring squeeze on the hand and makes her way to the back office.

Nicole is weighed and taken to a small room and asked to undress. She lays on the table in the stiff paper gown they have given her to cover her body. The doctor enters to room and smiles a large, almost cartoonish smile at Nicole. Hello Miss Edwards, Dr. Clarke." Nicole nods at the doctor as she sits down in the rolling stool next to her.

"Thank you for coming in today." The doctor says. "I have seen your questionnaire." She says looking down at the clipboard, "Your high I.Q., clean medical history, lack of addictive behaviors, of course your beautiful looks will provide a strong candidate for the baby."

She says and Nicole feels uncomfortable with the idea of selling her child. She tries to think of it as Mariah said; giving the child a better life. "It wasn't really planned." Nicole says quickly, "It was a drunken night with a coworker. A mistake. Uh, not that... it's just… I am in an upcoming company and I can't sacrifice…" Nicole stops talking, hating herself for saying too much and coming off selfish.

The doctor holds up her hand and smiles at Nicole, "You don't have to explain anything, Miss Edwards." Nicole swallows hard and the doctor instructs her to place her legs on the cold metal bars that spread her legs. The doctor uses the cold clamps and Nicole shudders as they touch her skin. The doctor talks her though the process and explains to her that she is doing great.

She pops up and tells me that everything looks great. Dr. Clark prepares Nicole for an ultrasound, but once the doctor locates the baby, Nicole refuse to look, unable to form a connection. Dr. Clark does not ask Nicole if she would like to hear the heartbeat, and tells her that the baby is healthy and ready to be induced. They set up and appointment for two weeks and Nicole reminds herself to ask for the time off from work.

When Nicole is discharged, she searches the lobby for Mariah, however, she is unable to locate the young girl. Nicole frowns at the idea wondering if she will see the young girl again.

Two weeks pass, and Nicole sits in a hospital owned by the same company as the clinic. Nicole did extensive research on the company that owns the two facilities. Being in business, Nicole likes to know the companies and their standings before dealing with them. Nicole gathered that the company's name is Abstergo Industries and besides the clinic and hospital, they own a pharmaceutical company and various distribution centers. Nicole found that the company had been around for a while and had a reputable standing in the business world. She found comfort in the idea when she chose to give the child to a more reputable company, rather than the small state owned adoption clinics around the town.

Nicole is called to the back faster than she was when she was waiting in the clinic. The hospital was provided all of Nicole's medical history, and after going over a few things with Nicole, they escort her to the small dreary room she is to give labor in. The room has an overwhelming smell of chemicals used to sterilize the room and it makes Nicole nauseated.

Once she makes herself comfortable, Nicole is induced into labor and the pain begins. She tries to keep my occupied away from the pain and thinks about work. She thinks about how she successfully hid her bell from those in the office with lose clothes, hiding behind binders and her desk, and chalking it up to petty weight gain if anyone asked. The coworker who impregnated Nicole was unsuspecting of the entire situation and did not speak with Nicole much after the incident. She suspected that he was embarrassed of the entire situation and did not want his job on the line as Nicole was his direct supervisor. Nicole did not want to muddy the waters by bringing in a child into her and his life, knowing that neither wanted the child or were ready to become parents with one another, not having much interaction outside of work.

Nicole begins pushing and empties her mind of all thoughts, focusing on getting this child out of her. Dr. Clarke from the clinic assists in the labor and talks over Nicole's cries of pain, instructing her through the labor. Nicole feels release when the baby leaves her body and the subsequent cries fill the room. Dr. Clarke takes the child to a nearby table where she cleans the baby. Nicole looks over and sees the small hands and feel that flail in the air as the doctor cleans the child.

"Wait," Nicole says as they begin to take the child away.

"Remember Miss Edwards, you signed a contract—"

"I don't want to hold it," Nicole says, knowing what the doctor was getting at. "I…I just want to know…What is it?"

The doctor looks down at the child, then back at Nicole. "You've had a baby girl, Miss Edwards."

"A girl…" Nicole sighs thinking about Mariah. Nicole sits up frantically as much as she can without ripping, "Mariah," She says and the doctor looks back at her. "Her name is Mariah." The doctor nods and leaves the room.

Nicole feels an emptiness inside her and when the cries descend into the hall, no longer heard from her room, Nicole begins to sob quietly to herself, repeatedly chanting to herself that she has done what is best for her child.


	2. The Rider

**The Rider**

 **Daniel Cross**

She heads towards me like she always does. Eyes wide like a doe; bright turquoise gems staring back at me. Golden blonde hair swaying in the wind, blowing in her face. She laughs and her lips curve, exposing her perfectly straight white teeth. Her button nose wrinkles when she laughs, drawing me to her dimpled cheeks. She presses her fingers to her lips, sheepishly trying to hide her smile from me. The sun illuminates her golden hair, and kisses her tanned skin. She turns from me and begins to skip away from me. She is on the beach, her beautiful toned body prancing in a green bikini. I run after her, and just when I get to her, my body thrust up as I wake from my dream.

I groggily moan at the displeasure of the dream ending again. I have created the same dream of the same woman running away from me and I am unable to reach her. I can't remember the last time that I haven't had the dream of this woman. She has become the girl of my dreams, and I look for her in every face I pass.

I lift myself from my cot and head to the shower. I take a quick cold shower and get dressed for the day's events. I walk down the halls of Abstergo, everyone I pass moves out of my way quietly murmuring good morning. I head to Vidic's office and when I do, I see that he is in a meeting. I motion him to come out. His eyes meet mine, and he subtly signals me to wait. I impatiently cross my arms over my chest when I see the man Vidic is speaking with. Alan Rikkin turns around and his dark brown eyes lock on mine. He smiles and motions me to come in and I see the dissatisfaction in Vidic's eyes.

I stride into the office and Rikkin greets me warmly. "Ah, Daniel! Good to see you again. How are things? I hear you're training the recruits now."

"Yes, Sir." I say in a hoarse tone. I clear my throat and hold my hands behind my back, trying to hold myself professionally. "I have been training the recruits for some time now. I am really enjoying it."

"Well that's good to hear." Rikkin looks back at Vidic, "Warren tells me that your strength is becoming unparalleled to any other in the Order."

My lips curve to the side of my face, not entirely sure how to take the comment. I had recently blacked out and attacked multiple recruits against my will. I remember the look Dr. Sung gave me when I came to; she was so worried about me. The Bleeding Effect was undoubtedly taking over me, making me a walking liability, but Warren saw it differently; he saw it as a test of my ever-growing strength. He told me that he was proud of me, and the man I have become.

"Daniel, how comfortable do you feel with your fighting skill?" Rikkin asks me.

I shrug at the comment, and I can tell Vidic is annoyed with how impartial I am being. "I think it's obvious you have a problem with security if I can take everyone out unarmed."

Vidic's eyes practically bulge out of his skull when he hears my familiar tone with Rikkin, however, the message is well received and Rikkin chuckles at the comment. "Warren and I have discussed the matter at great length and we would like to send you on an unaccompanied field mission." I stiffen and tense my shoulders. "After much debate, Dr. Sung is in agreeance and signed off stating that she believes you are ready for a field mission." I try to think about how that conversation must have went over and imagine Sung had little flexibility in the matter. "We believe this will be a valuable test in our devotion to the Order."

"What is the mission?" I say obediently.

Rikkin's lips curve devilishly with my submissive disposition to him. "We need you to retrieve a Codex in Dharavi, India. Warren can debrief you further, I am here to ensure that you are willing to take the challenge." Before I can tell him that I am willing he continues. "The Assassins have their eyes on the Codex as well." He says watching my reaction, and I try with all my might to keep myself stiff and disinterested in the Assassin's involvement with the mission. "I trust there will be no issues with this?"

I clench my jaw tightly, inhale deeply, then say, "Abstergo took me in when everyone else turned on me." I look up at Rikkin, staring him in the eyes, "I will serve the order faithfully."

Rikkin smiles largely, the wrinkled captivating his eyes, "Then it is settled." He says warmly, "Warren with debrief you." Rikkin rises from his chair and pats me on the back as he leaves the room.

The mission seems simple. An older than shit piece of paper is located in a masque in the heart of the Indian Slums. The mission should be simple. One man in, one man out—no back up. Vidic makes a point of this. All I have to do is go in, take the paper, and get out. The paper is being protected by the mosque's security and surveillance. There should be no issue in grabbing it.

Vidic does warn me that their sources have intercepted information that the Assassins are after the scripture. He informs me there will be a group of them, and they have chosen to send just me, so not to raise too much suspicion. He does tell me that Laetitia England will be in my ear providing me with aid and the thought brings me dissatisfaction. I do not need a babysitter. Vidic tells me that he trusts I can handle the mission but would like Laetitia in my ear just in case. I ensure him that the mission will prove little challenge, and he tells me to join Rizzo for training.

After a week of preparing for the mission, I am given my itinerary. I check the paperwork as Dr. Sung looks over my shoulder. I turn to her, and she averts her eyes. "What is it?" I ask her, turning back to the paperwork.

"Nothing." She says simply.

I sigh, "Vidic and Rikkin aren't here. If you have an opinion you'd like to express, you can do it freely here." When she does not respond, I turn around and look at her. "You don't think I am ready?" She turns her eyes away from me, unable to match my gaze. "I haven't had an episode in a while. I haven't heard any voices either."

"Anything can be a trigger, Daniel." She says in a sad tone. "This mission is unaccompanied. If you go down…" she trails at the thought.

"Worried about me, Doc?" I tease her and she glares at me angrily through the brim of her glasses. "Don't worry. It's a simple mission. I just have to grab a piece of paper and make sure some guy running around in a hood with I knife tapped to his arm doesn't poke me." I pull out my gun and waive it in her face, "Trust me, they aren't getting close to me."

"You shouldn't be so cocky, Daniel." She scolds me, "Not all the Assassins carry hidden blades."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to watch out for their swords too." She tries to argue with me but I stop her. "It's a simple mission. I will be in an out before you know it."

I leave her with that and head to my room where I retire for the night. Almost instantly when my head hits the pillow I am asleep, and I dream of the blonde woman.

After a long and terrible flight to India I am greeted with the thick and toxic air of the city. I almost choke on the thickness of the air, as though I am eating it. I cover my mouth and head to the Templar checkpoint. I sign into the hotel run by Abstergo and they nod knowingly at me. Soon Vidic will be notified that I have arrived.

I decide to clean my guns rather than sleep for the night. I have to be of a clear mind when I leave tomorrow, and I hope that the voices keep at bay while I gather this information. I need to prove to Vidic and Rikkin that I am doing fine; that I am not crippled by the voices and the visions.

I look over at my bag at the yellow bottle that pops out of the pile of wrinkled clothes. I put down the gun and walk towards the bottle. I grab it and shake it, seeing that there are only 6 pills left. I make a mental note to remind the Doc to fill the prescription. 6 pills, 6 days. I pop the top off and take a pill for the night. 5 pills, 5 days.

I swallow the pill dry and go back to cleaning my guns. Soon, the pill begins to affect me, and I am no longer on edge. Soon, I begin to feel calm enough to fall asleep, and again, when my head hits the pillow, I have a dreamless sleep.

The sun hits my eyes the next morning and I moan at the sight of a new day. I swing my legs off of the bed and stretch. I jump in the shower, and after a quick rinse, I get dressed and ready for my mission.

"Daniel can you hear me?" Laetitia calls out in my ear.

I fidget with the devise in my ear so her voice is not blaring in my eardrums. "Loud and clear," I say begrudgingly. "Still don't see why you have to babysit me for this mission." I say partially to myself.

"Look," she says in a bored tone, "I'd rather not waste my day watching over you either, but orders are orders. And when they come from the top of the chain, you comply." I roll my eyes. "Now you be a good boy and get the job done."

I load my guns load enough for Laetitia to hear my distain for the entire situation. "Is it because of the incident last month?" I ask her referring to my outburst against the recruits that placed most of them in the infirmary.

She is quiet for a while, with no sound of breathing or feedback. She has me on mute and I wonder what she is thinking. Finally, she says, "It's just precaution, Daniel. We are looking out for you."

I shove the gun in my waist band and head out of the hotel. I walk the busy streets of Dharavi. The Codex that I am looking for should be located in an underground office near the mosque. Children run and play in the streets carelessly while their parents watch me suspiciously. It is not every day they see white male walking the streets of the Indian Slums. I keep my head down and try to remain as inconspicuous as I can.

I enter the city that holds the mosque. The city has more people on the streets than I would like. I've never felt too good in crowds, and to be surrounded by so many people in close proximity makes me anxious.

"Daniel, your heart rate is going up." England chimes in, "What's going on?"

"So many… people." I say quietly between clenched teeth.

"I need you to stay calm, Daniel. I don't need you to have an episode in front on all these people." She says coldly.

I take a deep breath and try to relax. I don't feel the voices come along—or the visions—so I feel as though I will be fine around these people. I take my 3 breaths that Dr. Sung advised I take when I grow anxious and continue to my approach to the mosque.

I begin to ascend up the stairs of the mosque when I hear a shrill scream and the sound or a revving motorcycle. I back away, and as I do, the doors fling open and a black motorcycle soars through the doors. I duck and watch as the motorcycle hits the bottoms stairs, then continues into the crowd of the people. Everyone begins to scatter like ants as they try to dodge the motorcycle.

I look back at the mosque and see 4 people on the roof of the mosque. They jump on the rooftops of the building and follow 2 to 2 on each side, watching the motorcycle.

"England!" I yell tugging to get my gun out of the waistband, "The Assassins are here. They have the Codex!"

"Are you sure?" She says in shock.

I watch as the four assassins jump from building to building with ease. "I'm sure." I pull out my gun and run after the motorcycle and the assassins that provide aid from above. I point my gun at one of the assassins running on the roof tops. I try to steady my aim as much as I can, pointing at a running target and while running myself. I pull the trigger and the assassin goes down, falling limp off of the building and into the crowd.

The others hear me and begin shooting my way. I dodge their shots and begin running through the run-down homes as we enter the deep slums of India.

"Daniel, can you hear me? What's going on?" England yells in my ear.

"I have 5 assassins. 4 now." I say trying to catch my breath as I hide within the compounds of the homes. I make my way from room to room of each home.

"Have you seen the Codex? Do they have it?"

"There is one on a bike. I'm pretty sure he has it, and the others are his backup." I say angrily as I navigate the labyrinth of houses.

"Daniel, we have no backup to send you." England says in a concerned tone, pointing out what I already know.

I angrily take off my jacket and throw it to the ground as I overheat in the hot humid air. "I'll be fine." I tell her in-between breaths. "I just have to get to that damn motorcycle."

I tackle through a flimsy wall and am back in the action. I hear the sound of the motorcycle's engine, and before I can react, the bike zips past me. It is almost as though time slows down when we are parallel to each other. The rider has a blacked-out helmet, so I cannot see his face, but as he takes the sharp turn, he watches me, and his gaze follows me as he drives away. I watch him as he grabs at the gun holster on his thigh and pulls out an Uzi. He points the gun at me and begins raining bullets down on me, while driving away. I duck into an alley where the rider can't get to me. My heart is racing, "When the fuck did the Assassins retire their knives for fucking Uzis?" I yell at England.

"Daniel, you need to get out of there!" England instructs, "You have no backup and you're outnumbered. Let them go, we can gather the Codex another time."

"I'm not giving up," I say, entering the streets again.

"These are direct orders from Vidic, Daniel. Stand down!" She yells and I pull the devise out of my ear and crush it on the ground. I look up and see that I have made it before the assassins on the roof. I stand guard and wait, and when they take the turn on the roof, I put a bullet in two of them. I wait for the third and final assassin but he never shows. He must have heard my shots and taken another route.

I decide to dedicate my attention to the rider, rather than finding the final Assassin. I begin running after the rider. I keep an eye out for the final assassin, but he is nowhere in sight. I hear the sound of the motorcycle's engine, but I am not as close as I would like to be to him.

I determine running directly for him will not work, and I cannot get a clear shot at him to slow him down, so I make for the rooftops and see if I can get an aerial shot at him. The buildings are flimsy and horrifying to be atop of.

It takes me a moment to gather my footing on the rickety structure, but once I am stable, I run after the rider. I can see him in the distance and he is not too far from me. I run after him faster than I would have on the ground and for a brief moment, I feel like an Assassin again. I am not sure how the notion makes me feel, so rather than fixating on it, I exorcise it from my mind and continue to chase my target.

The rider continues to slow down to look behind him for the last remaining assassin. I smile at the rider's idiocy. His concern for his comrade with get him killed and the Codex in the hands of the Templars.

I finally reach the rider close enough to get a clear shot at him. I aim for his back, but he revs his engine at the last minute and I miss him. I do puncture his back tire, causing him to skid out. The rider is good however, and he catches the bike from crashing. He looks back at me and sends another rainfall of bullets my way. One of the bullets hits my shoulder, but luckily the bullet goes clean through. I try to point my gun at him, but my shoulder stings too much, causing me to lower my arm. I curse under my breath as I try to use my left to shoot the rider, but a moving target with my non-dominate hand proves difficult, and I just waste my bullets.

I decide that I will not get the rider with my arm, or the speed that he has over me, so I try a different approach. I move away from the rider, and where I suspect he will go. I move through the structures and into a field the rider will have to pass in order to leave the city. I have a few minutes to set a trap, so I work fast.

I find a large rusted pipe crawl up a building. I begin to kick at pipe to dislodge it from its place to drop it onto the street, that way when the rider comes by, I can drop it on him, causing him to crash, and hopefully die, so I won't have to fight the bastard for the Codex. I hold off on kicking the pipe down until the ride is close. I hear the roar of the motorcycle's engine and I smile as he approaches. I wait for the opportune moment, just when he is close enough, so not to give him chance to get away.

The ride hits the sweet spot and I kick the pipe, causing it to fall with a heavy crash onto the streets. I unfortunately drop it just too early, and rather than crushing the rider to death, his motorcycle crashes into the pipe, sending the rider flying off of the bike. The rider smashes into the ground with a painfully sounding thud and the bike insights in a loud explosion. The rider's helmet comes flying off, exposing long messy blonde hair.

I quickly jump off of the structure and approach the rider. As step closer to the rider, I notice that their small frame and their tight black clothes. As I get a closer look, I realize the rider is a woman, not a man.

She tries to crawl away from men, holding onto her side with one arm and digging her elbow into the mud in an attempt to crawl away. She is shaking in pain as she crawls away, and I wonder if she is paralyzed as she doesn't move her legs. I hold the gun to her, seeing the pool of blood follow her as she drags her body away. With how much blood she has lost and her potentially being paralyzed, killing her would be a mercy at this point. "Stop right there." I command her, standing over her body. "Where is the Codex?" She does not look back at me, and all I can see is the back of her head. She continues to crawl away from me and I cock the gun. "I said stop!" I demand loudly.

She moans and rolls over to look at me. My eyes meet hers and I almost drop my gun when I see that she is the girl from my dreams. My eyes widen and I stumble away from her, the air is kicked out of my lungs. Her turquoise eyes, button nose, dimpled cheeks, rose lips. All of it; there is no difference between her and the girl in my dreams. My heart races and she looks back at me with terror.

I try to say something to her, anything to her, but the words won't leave me lips. She flops to her back and looks up at me with wide fearful eyes. I try to move, but I am frozen by her image. I can't believe she exists. I can't believe I am actually looking at her.

I am so captivated by her, that in a swift move, I do not notice the she takes a small gun from her boot and points it at me. Without even thinking, I place my hands up in surrender, as though I want to surrender to her.

She looks at me angrily and shoots me in the thigh. I fall to my knees with a roar of pain. I look at her now on her level and see her eyes begin to flutter. She looks down and sees that she is bleeding near her rips. There is so much blood around her and when she loses consciousness her head falls heavily to the ground.

I crawl towards her, desperately hoping that she is not dead, when I feel the barrel of a gun against the back of my head. "Don't touch her." A deep voice commands me. I clench my hands into fists knowing that I should have killed that final Assassin.

I try to quickly whip around and disarm him, but he sees me coming, and before I can turn my head towards him, he smacks the butt of the gun to my head. I fall heavy on the ground, my eyes frantically searching for the girl's face before everything goes black.


	3. Trapped

**Trapped**

 **Daniel Cross**

My eyes open to bright florescent lights beaming down on me. Everything hurts. As soon as I regain feeling, I am overcome by the pain, and there isn't a part of me that doesn't ache.

I try to look around, but my head is splitting. I go to reach for my head by my arm gets held down by something. I glance down to see that I am handcuffed to a hospital bed. I begin to frantically struggle in an attempt to break my restraints.

"I would advise against that." I hear a woman say. I turn my head to see a woman standing with her back to me.

She is wearing a white doctor's coat and her blonde hair is held back in a lose bun. My heart races at the image of the girl from my dreams. This is her. This has to be her.

"Who…" I try to ask, but everything hurts so much.

She turns around and I notice that she is not the girl from my dreams. She is much older, with prominent wrinkles around her lips and eyes, freckles around her face, with light brown eyes. My heart drops and I feel angry that she is not who I thought her to be. "You should probably relax. You've been through a lot of trauma." I look down at my body to see that I am in a light blue hospital gown.

An I.V. is attached to my arm with god knows what dripping into my body. She sits down next to me, pulling her stool next to my bed. She pulls out a chart and begins to read. "Your right femur is shattered from the bullet wound. The bullet exploded on impact and you had severe lead poisoning when they brought you in here. We were able to remove the shards and insert plates to reconstruct your femur." I look down at my thigh to see a huge bloodied bandage covering the greater upper middle half of my thigh. "The shot to the shoulder was clean, and we just stitched you with that; should be healed in no time." I stain to look at my shoulder and see that it is patched up and wrapped in gauze.

"Am I in a safehouse?" I ask, thinking that the Templars must have come to extract me when I destroyed my communication with England.

"Lastly," she says in a pressed tone. "You'll experience severe to minor neck pain from the tracker implant we removed, so the Templars don't find you."

My heart races as I realize that I am under the captivity of the Assassins.

She looks over at a monitor that shows my heightened heartbeat. "Oh, you didn't like hearing that." She says almost comically.

"He's awake?" I turn my head to see a man enter the room. His eyes lock on me and they are cold as ice. "Good," he says with a smile as he approaches me.

"I'd like if you didn't touch him, Jax." The doctor says, "Fourteen hours of intensive surgery are not going to be wasted because you can't handle your temper."

"Relax, Doc, we are just talking." The man pulls up a chair, flips it backwards and straddles it, relaxing his arms and chin on the back of chair. "Ain't that right, Daniel?"

I don't give him the satisfaction of talking back to him, and instead I watch as the doctor leaves the room. "So," the man says, his jet-black hair is slicked back, his eyes are bright blue, and his skin is pale, with rosy cheeks. "Templars have you looking for this?" he says pulling out the Codex. I stiffen at it's sight, and the heartbeat monitor beeps wildly. "Fun thing about those," he says pointing at the heartrate monitor with the Codex, "they act like a lie detector test. So, I think it best, you tell me what I want to hear."

"Jax, what are you doing in here?" I look over at the door to see a tall blonde man looming over the entrance of my room.

"Caleb," he says, "I was just trying to get some information from our honored guest.

The tall blonde man snatches the Codex from the kid, "give me that," he says. "now get out."

"Caleb, he killed my team." Jax pleads.

"And their sacrifice will mean nothing if you kill Daniel." He snaps at him. "I have business to attend, get out."

The kid slumps and leaves the room, and I wonder how someone like him could get the upper hand on me and knock me out. "You'll have to excuse him," the man named Caleb says as he turns around the chair and sits normally in it, crossing his right leg over his left. "He does not take direction well." The blonde man finally looks at me, his light eyes beating on me. "Caleb Anika." He introduces himself. He notices that I watch the hallway for the kid to leave. "What Jax lacks in social skills, he makes up for his talents in the field." Caleb says in what is supposed to be a reassuring tone.

"Where am I?" I finally ask in a hoarse tone.

"You're in an Assassin compound. We have removed your tracker, albeit very difficult seeing as how your nerves grew around it. You might develop a twitch of the neck."

I am not sure if he is joking or not, and I feel myself getting hot at the idea. I look down at my leg, the deep fresh scar is pulsating and my pain travels through my veins all up and down my leg.

"She got you good on that one." He says noticing my gaze on my thigh.

"She?" I ask wanting to tell me more about the girl who shot me. "Where is she?"

"Unwilling to see you." He says in a harsh tone.

I clench my jaw tightly at his unforgiving nature. "Is she okay?" I ask sadly.

Caleb presses his brows together. "Why do you care?" He asks, in a curious tone, rather than an angry one.

I try to think about why I care for her wellbeing. I do not care about any of the other Assassins I killed, but I find that I am worried beyond thought for her. I try to articulate why I care about her, but nothing comes to mind. I just do. She is the woman in my dreams, and regardless of all that I know, I want to know that she is okay.

"Tell me, what do the Templars want with the Codex?" He says.

I try to shrug, but my shoulder hurts too much. I exhale heavily and say, "You're asking the wrong guy. I just get the intel, I don't get to read it."

"You're not a mindless soldier, Daniel. You mean more to the Templars than that."

I scoff, "What do you know about me and the Templars?"

"I know a lot about you, Daniel. I know more about your relationship then you may even know."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I say to him with narrowed eyes.

"What do the Templars want with the Codex?" He asks again.

"I don't know. I never asked." I say in a pressed tone. "What do the Assassins want with it?" I throw back at him.

Caleb sighs, "Get some rest. We will continue this conversation later." He stands and starts walking out the room. He turns to me at the threshold of the doorway and smiles at me, "It's nice to see you grown."

I look at him confused and he leaves the room with nothing but my thoughts to occupy me.

The next day, I wake up to someone putting something in my I.V. and I look up at the girl to see her blonde hair messily thrown up in a bun atop her head. My heart beats faster, thinking she is the girl of my dreams. She turns to me and my heart drops seeing that she is not her. Her eyes are blue, and her nose is turned upwards, with flat lips. I frown at the sight of her. Everything about her face is off, and she is not the girl of my dreams.

"You're awake." She says in a soft tone.

"What did you just give me?" I ask in a pressed tone.

"A mild pain reliever—to take the edge off."

"Why are you wasting your medical equipment on a Templar?"

"Because your kind don't leave us with many living patience to work on." The older doctor says walking in. The young nurse leaves my bedside and hands the doctor my charts. The doctor reads over them and then hands the charts back to the girl. "I see you slept throughout the night. Did you experience much pain?"

I look over at the young nurse who continues to glance over at me between miniscule tasks. I can tell that she is fascinated by me, and I plan to use that to my advantage. I wonder if I can convince her to remove these restraints.

I look back at the doctor. "No pain, but I need to take a leak so," I rattle the handcuffs against the bed, "you mind?"

The doctor looks down at me unamused. She holds up a silver bed pan and with a flat expressionless look on her face, she places the pan on the bed and slides it up. I retract at its cold touch as she forces it under me. "There, that'll do it."

"You have got to be kidding me." I say glaring at her.

"You can't honestly expect us to leave you walking around here freely after The Great Purge?" She says coldly.

"Is that what you guys are calling it?" I say cynically, "It was just another Tuesday for me. Or was it a Thursday?" I laugh, "You know, I never really know, your kind is so easy to extinguish. It's pathetic, really."

"Says the man handcuffed to a bed, unable to walk, pissing in a pan." She returns coldly. "Come on, Natalie. Leave him to his thoughts." The girl watches me as she leaves the room.

Once they are gone, I try desperately to get out of my restraints. I try to break my thumb, but I am unable to get any leverage on it. The cuffs are too tightly snapped onto my wrists, that even if I break my thumb, I fear that I won't be able to get out of my restraints. I try to look around for something that will help me get out of here.

I think about England, and if she has informed Vidic of my capture. I wonder if they are looking for me, and if they know where to look. Hell, I don't even know where I am, or if I am ever going to get out of here.

After a while of struggling, I realize that I am not going to get out of my restraints and decide to stop struggling and save my energy. I look around the room to see if there is anything that gives me an inkling of where I am, but there are no pictures on the walls, no logos on the machines, and no distinguishing idea of where I am. I throw my head back in anguish over how the hell I am going to get out of this fucking room.

I few days pass and I am still chained to my bed. I argue with the doctor daily that if she does not walk me, I will develop bedsores, but she does not seem to care. I have been evolving a relationship with the blonde nurse who attends me daily. She gives me my medicine and changes by bed pan, and I make a point to mention how pretty she is every time she enters the room. She is naïve and flushes with joy every time I compliment her. I believe that if I can convince her to release me, I can take her hostage until I make it out of this godforsaken place.

She enters the room today and I smile at her, "Morning Sunshine." I say to her with as fake of a smile as I can conjure up.

She giggles, "How are you feeling? Any pain throughout the night?"

"Actually, yes," She looks at me with worried eyes, "These restraints are getting really tight on my wrists, and I am worried I am going to get an infection or something." She comes closer to me and sees the red markings caused from me trying to escape from the restraints. "Now, I know you can't take them off of me, but can you at least loosen them up a bit, so they don't bother me as much?"

"I don't have the key to them." She says in a sad tone.

"Do you know where they keep it?" I ask her. "I am sure it's somewhere around here. They are just really tight and causing me a lot of pain." I say in a sweet tone.

"I…I guess I could find them."

"Would you please? I would be forever indebted to you if you did." I say in a bargaining tone.

"I can keep my eyes and ears open." She says in a reassuring tone.

"Oh, that would be amazing! You are the best!" I say with as much enthusiasm as I can conjure up.

She giggles and smiles at me. "Here," she says setting down a plastic cup on my table. "I snagged you some Jello. It's cherry flavored."

I chuckle and grab the small cup. My restraints are just barely long enough for me to feed myself. I take a bite of the Jello while she writes things down on the clip board.

The doctor comes bursting through the doors frantically, approaching me. "What's wrong, Doc?" I ask and she snatches my arm, causing me to drop my Jello. "Hey, what the fuck?" I yell and she puts a tourniquet on my arm.

"What is happening?" The nurse asks.

"Mariah's wounds opened overnight. She's lost a lot of blood." The Doctor explains frantically as she shoves the needle in my vein.

"Is she alright?" Natalie asks.

"She is still comatose. But she has lost so much blood. Lucky for us, we have a prisoner with the same blood type." She takes the vials of blood she has taken from me and leaves the room, running down the hall.

"Who is Mariah?" I ask once the Doctor is out of the room.

Natalie swallows hard at the question. "Uh… she's…" she looks away, trying to figure out if she should tell me. "I should probably go help them."

"Wait, don't leave me!" I call out to her, but she runs out of the room and down the hall, leaving me alone.

I look out the window and see that everyone runs down the hall, presumably to the room of Mariah. I sit in my room in silence, trying to extend my hearing down the hall and listen to all of the commotion, but I can't hear anything that is going on. I sit in the room unattended for a while, until the nurse returns looking slightly frustrated.

"Everything alright out there?" I ask her, wondering what is causing the building to become hysterical.

"Yeah," she says quickly.

She looks over her shoulder to make sure that no one is watching her. She pulls out a set of keys and I stiffen at the sight. The sweet little idiot actually found the keys to my cuffs. She takes my hand and loosens each cuff. I roll my wrists in the cuffs and they practically fall out. I smile to myself that I won't have to break my thumbs to get out of these restraints. I wonder if she is aware of how lose she made the cuffs.

I try to thank her but she tells me to keep quiet about the matter and I nod with agreement. She smiles at me and before she can say anything, the Doctor walks back in and we stay quiet.

The Doctor tell Natalie to changes my bandage on my thigh and I finally see the nasty scar that has been giving me so much pain. The scar is deep and covers the majority of my thigh. She removes the dressings from my shoulder and it has healed fine, no longer needing to be bandaged.

The Doctor begins administrating another dose of pain reliever when I ask her to stop. She looks at me with confusion and I explain. "I used to be a junkie. Trying to get off the opioids. The pain isn't bad, and I can tough it out." I lie to her. The fact is that I am planning my escape tonight and I don't want to be drugged while trying to navigate my way out of here. She, however, sees it as a noble gesture and does not administer the drug. She and the young nurse leave me and I look outside my window. Based on the position of the sun, I determine that it is sometime after 18:00. Soon it will be dark, and I will make my escape from this hospital and these fucking people.

I decide to take a nap and rest my body before my escape. I lean my head back and rest it on the pillow. It doesn't take long until I am out cold. Visions begin to form in my head and I see the face of my dream girl forming. When the visions become clear, she smiles at me. I smile back at her, the sight of her beginning me a warm feeling.

The vision changes to her on a tree swing in a wooded area. I approach her and push her on the swing. She laughs and looks back at me, her dimples captivating her cheeks. I can't help but feel calm at the scene, and I wish it to never end. But I feel myself waking up, and before I can savor another second of this moment with her, my eyes open and I am back to the dreary hospital room.

I look around to see that it is dark and quiet throughout the hospital. I cannot tell what time it is, but I figure that no one should be around. I fidget with my cuffs and they practically fall off of my wrists. I can't believe she was stupid enough to loosen the cuffs so much.

I lift myself from my bed and carefully swing my legs across the edge of the bed. I make sure to lift myself off slowly, since I have not used my legs for over a week. When my feet touch the ground, I almost fall. The numbness is painful, and the injury to my left thigh isn't helping much either.

I am finally able to hold my body up and after wobbling from one foot to the other, I begin a natural stride. I pull out the I.V. and nodes attaches at my chest and chuck them to the ground, feeling freer than ever.

I walk out of my room and look around. It does not look like there is anyone around, so I walk freely. I have to get some kind of weapon, just in case I am being watched. I find a storage room that is decorated with thousands of medical bottles. The bottles are held behind a locked glass door. I break the glass and rummage through the bottles, reading what they are for and which will be helpful for my escape. I take some pain killers, as well as some antibiotics, and sleeping pills. I am not sure how long I will be without medical attention until Abstergo is able to find me, so I take as much as I can find.

I walk out of the storage closet and make my way out of the hospital. I lean up against the wall and drag myself down the hall, unable to hold all of my weight on my legs. I approach the room next to mine and decide I want to peek in and see if the woman of my dreams is really there.

When I go to turn into her room, I am blocked as a woman walks out of the room. I am frozen as I look at her. She is barefoot and wears the same hospital gown as me. She is holding onto the metal hook that holds up her I.V. bag. My gaze finally reaches her face and I am again struck by the image of her. It is her, the woman of my dreams. Her face is sunken in, and her eyes have dark bags under them. She looks tired and the color is flushed from her cheeks and lips, but she is still beautiful as ever. Her eyes lock on mine and she looks scared as she did when she was thrown off of her bike.

I try to say something to her, but when I do, my head begins splitting and I hear the voices coming. "Not now!" I command, holding my head. I stagger away from her as I am overcome with images of my ancestor Kenya, killing his father in the woods. I try to push the images from my head but I cannot. I see Nikolai, and his forcing Kenya to sit outside in the cold, to learn what it is to be a man. "No!" I yell, trying to push the memories away. I can't see anything but the images of my ancestors as they play before me. I try to escape the visions, but they are too powerful. I feel my head get lighter, and I feel myself falling. I try to see what is around me, but all I can see is the image of Nikolai, coughing up blood with his dying breath.


	4. His Creations

**His Creations**

 **Daniel Cross**

I wake to a splitting headache like nothing I have ever felt. No amount of liquor or drugs have ever made me feel this bad before. I look around the room and see that I am back in the hospital bed. I try to move my arms, but they are once again tied down with cuffs. I wonder if it was all a dream, and if I actually tried to escape the hospital.

The Doctor is reaching over my bed, administrating something into my I.V. She looks down at me and sees that I am awake. "Why didn't you tell any of us that you were suffering from the Bleeding Effect?" She asks in a pressed tone.

"Ugh?" I ask and she rolls her eyes. I try to think back at what happened. I think about my pills and how I left those damned things back in the hotel.

"You had an episode. Had I known the severity of your condition, I would have medicated you accordingly. That's probably how you got out of your restraints. You could have seriously hurt someone." I look up at what she is placing into my I.V. and she smiles down at me. "It's a mild sedative." She explains as she sees the concern in my eyes over what she is giving me. "It's to ensure you won't have another episode." She says. She leans away from me and turns towards the end of my bed.

I look over to my left, towards the window when I see someone sitting in the chair. My eyes focus on the person and when they do, my heart races. It is the woman of my dreams. She sits at the chair, with knees curled up to her chest and her arms tucked in behind her knees. She looks so small curled up like that. She is stiff with her eyes still sunken in and a tired with a pained expression painted on her face. I try to open my mouth to say something to her, but I cannot formulate a word as I look at her. I am completely captivated by her.

After a moment of silence between the both of us scanning each other's faces, she finally says, "You wrecked my bike." Her tone is flat, but her voice is soft and I can't help but feel a soothing feeling hearing her voice for the first time.

"I…" I try to formulate what to say to her, but I don't know what to say to her. "It's you." Is all I can I say, and I smile at her.

Her jaw clenches, and she seems worried. Before she or I can say another word to each other, Caleb walks into the room. He is stiff and looks uncomfortable being in the room with us. The Doctor walks to the edge of the room behind everyone and they both seem on edge.

I swallow hard as he enters the room, wanting to be with the girl in private. Caleb walks over to the girl and pats her on the head lovingly. The sight makes me anxious and wildly jealous. She looks up at him with a weary sideways smile, and he pulls up a chair next to her.

"Good to see you again, Daniel." He says looking at me.

I look away from him and back at the girl. "Tell me your name." I say to her, needing to know her name.

She looks at Caleb, who smiles at her. She then looks at me, and after a moment of silent contemplation, she quietly says, "Mariah Knight."

"Mariah." I repeat and her eyes quickly look away from me and she turns away from me. _Why is she so shy?_

Caleb sighs and looks at the Doctor for guidance. She shrugs and leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Caleb shifts in his seat. "Daniel," he says, "what do you feel when you look at Mariah?"

I look over at Caleb with a confused look. _What kind of question is that?_ I try to think of what he is getting at, and I look back at Mariah. I try to think of his question while staring at her. When her eyes meet mine, I get a rush of emotions overcome me. I get hot and nervous at her gaze. Her turquoise eyes look onto me and I can't help but be captivated by her. I swallow hard and try to think of what to say to Caleb. I don't want him to think that I am completely overcome by her, but the fact is that I am.

"How am I supposed to answer that?" I ask him, not looking away from her.

"What emotions are you feeling when you look onto her face?" he asks again.

I try to think of what to say, but words can't compare to how I feel looking at her right now. "I… I don't know." I sigh.

Caleb's jaw tenses and he shifts again in his seat. "Daniel," he says sternly. Mariah looks away from me and I feel a sadness overcome me. I want to keep looking at her, and I want her to keep looking at me. I look over at Caleb now. "I am not sure where to start with this. I never thought the day would come where I would have to tell you this." He begins and he gets my total attention. "You and Mariah were born in an experiment that Abstergo called 'Project Eden'."

"What?" I let out and look at Mariah for understanding. She continues to keep her gaze away from me and I look back at Caleb. "What are you talking about?"

"Before you two were born, Abster—" he sighs, "no, Warren Vidic worked with scientists at Abstergo to explore the Human Genome Project."

"How do you know Vidic?" I ask in a defensive tone.

He disregards my question and continues his story. "They were working on creating the ultimate Templar agent." He says coldly. "Their idea behind it, was that they would use the Animus to teach the recipient how to fight and handle pain through the Bleeding Effect. Their hope was that through osmosis, the subjects could learn to be tougher, run faster, hit harder, heal and become impervious to the feeling of pain. More than any normally trained man or woman. Once their DNA had adapted and changed through the Bleeding Effect, Vidic hoped to continue the race of these super human men and woman, through meticulous breeding to create a race of super human soldiers for the Templar armies."

I let out a chuckle, completely baffled by this ridiculous story.

Caleb continues, annoyed by my lack of seriousness. "You and Mariah were the first subjects of his project. After searching for the perfect donors, based on genetic ancestral lines, you and Mariah were chosen among thousands of children. He believed you two to be the Adam and Eve of his Project Eden."

At this point, I can't continue to listen to him and I begin laughing. "You have got to be kidding me." I say to him and his expression shows that he is unamused. "You really trying to tell me that Vidic grew me in some test tube with the hopes that I would come out like Superman?" I say with a skeptical laugh.

"No," he says in a pressed tone. "You and Mariah were given up in a closed adoption by your parents, under the guise that you would be given to an adoptive family."

I swallow hard at the comment. I try not to think of my parents and push their existence from my mind.

"Once chosen, you and Mariah were forced into the Animus to view the lives of your ancestors. Daniel, you lived the lives of Nicolai and Innokenti Orelov. Assassin Mentors from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Mariah was forced to live the life of her ancestor Rolant de Beaune, a Grand Templar Master from the 1300s." I look over at her, shocked that she has a lineage with the Templars.

"You two were forced into the Animus for years with the hopes that you would gain your ancestors' strength and power, but instead, you two began to develop psychosis. Visions of you ancestors in your waking lives, crimpling nightmares, and psychotic breaks."

"How do you know all of this?" I demand before he continues.

He puts his head down in shame and swallows hard. "Because I assisted Vidic with Project Eden." He says with shame. He looks back up at us and explains, "I once believed in what we were doing. I thought we were pioneering the understanding of the human genome, but Warren was mad. He was driven by power and greed. He neglected the health and well-being of you two and would drive you two to madness before halting the project."

He looks over at Mariah. "I remember looking into your bloodshot eyes one night after a session…the fear in them…" he places his head down. "I could not let it continue." He sighs and looks over at me. "But I was not strong enough to speak my hesitations and his heinous experiments continued."

"As the years passed, your talents were increasing. And Warren believed it time to initiate the second stage of Project Eden." He says coldly and in a sickened tone. "Warren wished you two to develop a stronger relationship with one another. You two fought like animals when you were children." He says with a subtle smile, reminiscing. "You two hated each other; fought and pulled each other's hair any second you got." He looks over at Mariah, "You were especially violent, and often made Daniel cry by pushing him to the ground and shoving sand in his mouth." I look over at Mariah who hides a smile from behind the sleeve of her grey sweater.

Caleb sighs and looks away from us both. He looks down at his hands and his face contorts with sorrow and hate. "He started with Daniel." He continues. "Warren wanted to ensure there would be no retaliation in the second stages of Project Eden." Caleb hesitates and after a moment of composing his thoughts, he continues. "He used Classic Conditioning to propose specific sensory feelings in your minds towards one another." He chokes on the memory and tries to compose himself. He stumbles on his words and it takes him a moment to gather himself. "He…he provided you with…suggestive photos of each other… and awarded aroused behaviors with treats and praise." Caleb exhales and is unable to continue. His hands begin to shake, and he rubs his mouth with the palm of his hand. He shuts his eyes and a tear falls down his face.

Mariah looks out the window unable to look at either of us during this part of the story. I try to wrap my mind around everything he has just told me. I look over at Mariah and though I know she can feel my gaze on her, she continues to look out the window. I can't comprehend it. Warren is not that type. He can't be. I try to imagine him as that man, but I cannot let my mind think of him like that. Warren may be irregular, but he isn't perverse. I cannot grasp the idea that Warren took pornographic photos of Mariah to show them to me; to praise me when I became aroused. The idea is outrageous and he would never do such a thing.

"You're a liar." I say looking up at him. I feel a fury boil inside me. "You're a fucking liar!" I yell at him. "I am not a dog. I am not going to salivate like a beast at the sight of just another girl." I spit. "You are a liar and you are spreading these nasty stories to brainwash me against him." I say hatefully.

"Daniel, I wish it weren't true." He begins.

"Well then what happened?" I yell, "Why was I found wandering on the streets?"

Caleb swallows at my harsh tone. "I defected. Once I get wind that Warren was taking these images of you two, I couldn't allow it to continue. I contacted the Assassins for assistance, and they came and raided the compound. They came to rescue you both. After we raided the compound they found you two cowering together underneath the beds." He frowns. "The Templars destroyed the Assassin's units and they only had room to transport one of you safely." His eyes are red with tears.

"Why her?" I say coldly and he looks up at me with sad eyes. "Why did you take her?"

"Because you asked us to." He says with tears in his eyes and I begin tearing as well. "You asked that we take her away from the compound and keep her safe."

"You never told me that part." Mariah speaks up with a sad tone. I look over at her, and her eyes fall to her lap, unable to match mine.

Caleb looks over at me with sad eyes. "You wanted her to be safe, and away from Vidic's grasp." I feel angry that tears fall down my face. I hate the sorrow I feel. "We came back for you." He says sadly. "We came back for you, but you had escaped on your own. You were found bloody and beaten, then passed down from foster home to foster home, until you were released. We could never trace you because of the hundreds of nameless children in and out of the foster homes. We tried to follow-up on every lead we had of you, but we never found you."

I shake my head, trying to find the lies in his story. "Then why don't I remember it?" I ask, "If I was raised with this girl and conditioned to drool at the sight of her, then why don't I remember any of it?" I yell bitterly.

"The Nano-transmitter implanted in your brain." He explains and I shake my head violently, trying not to hear him explain it away. "With the failure of Project Eden, Warren suppressed any remembrance of Mariah from your brain and focused on restructuring you as the perfect Templar soldier." Caleb watches me as I keep my eyes on Mariah. "But it is clear that he was unable to remove her presence entirely."

Mariah finally matches my gaze and I look at her intensely. "Tell me you feel it too." I say to her. "Tell me that you feel what I feel for you." Her chin quivers and her eyes swell. She turns her head away from me and hides her face from me.

I turn to Caleb who can match my gaze. "She remembers." Caleb says sadly. I look over at her but she looks out the window, unable to look at me. "We have given her intensive phycological treatment, and though she has repressed most of the memories through trauma, she still remembers you, and her time at Abstergo."

I watch her as she is unable to look at me. "So, it's true?" I ask her. "About Vidic?"

She sighs and looks at me with hate filled eyes. "He isn't the man you think him to be."

My eyes begin to fill with tears at the idea that Warren would do such a thing to her…to me. I try not to blink so the tears do not fall down my cheeks. "Get out." I say as sternly as I can. Caleb looks at me with a hurt expression. "Get out!" I yell harshly, "both of you! Get out and leave me be!" The tears fall down my face and I feel as though I have lost the battle for my strength.

Caleb stands and heads for the door but Mariah stays. She looks at me with sad eyes and it breaks my heart to see her this way. "Please," I beg her. "Please leave."

"Daniel," she says my name for the first time and I want her to stay more than anything.

"Leave me alone!" I yell at her and she looks away from me with fearful eyes. I watch as she leaves with Caleb, and once they close the door, I allow myself one painful sob before using all my energy to compose myself as much as I can manage.

I few days have passed and I have had minimal interaction with anyone from the hospital. The Doctor comes in at least twice a day to check up on me. She does not ask me questions unless she needs to, and I do not speak with her when she does. The young nurse comes in from time to time as well, trying to flirt with me and lighten my spirits, but I pay her no attention either.

I have not eaten or drank anything since I was visited by Caleb and Mariah. The Doctor has resorted to a feeding tube since I have been unwilling to eat, and I can feel my muscles and body deteriorate from the lack of nutrition. But I don't care anymore.

I think about everything that has been told to me about Warren and Project Eden. I can't imagine Warren to do such a thing to me. He has always been the only father figure I have had in my life, and I cannot imagine him to do such a thing to me. I cannot imagine Rikkin or anyone from Abstergo signing off on this. I believe that they are just making this up to turn me against Vidic and the Templars. It is in this moment that I realize I need to get out of her more than ever.

My door clicks open and I don't look to see who it is. I figure that it is the Doctor checking to see if I am alive, or the nurse foolishly trying to gain my affection. I try not to make eye contact with who comes into my room. I look down at my lap and whoever walks in moves the swivel table in front of my and places a plate of horrid looking hospital food before me. Watery mashed potatoes, rock hard peas, and a rubbery piece of pork that looks more like a children's play food set, than an actual editable meal sits before me. I finally look up at the person handing me the food and it is Mariah.

When my eyes meet hers, she turns away from me, "Don't be deceived." She says sitting slowly on the chair next to my bed. "It tastes just as bad as it looks."

I wrinkle my nose at the food and push the swivel table away from my lap. I look over at her and see that she is wearing a sling that holds up her left arm. I must have not noticed when she was at my bedside before. I get a good look at her and see all the scars and cuts I caused her. She has a huge cut on her forehead leading up to her scalp, a road rash burn on the side of her chin and shoulder, her arm is in a sling, and she walks with a bad limp.

I think about apologizing to her, but I don't think it will do her much good. She looks over at me and I cannot tell what she is thinking in this moment. She does not look happy or sad… just numb.

She sits next to me and does not say anything to me. This continues for quite some time, and I don't mind it one bit. Her presence makes me calm, and I enjoy having her around me. After a while of sitting in silence I finally say with a grunt, "Do you got a cigarette? I could really use a smoke."

"That stuff will kill you, you know." She returns.

"So will that death rocket you ride." I say referring to her motorcycle. She does not smile and I can tell that she is still upset that I wrecked her bike and caused her all her injuries.

She gets up and limps over to the table at the end of the room. She grabs something from one of the drawers, then comes back over to me. She strains herself as she reaches up to the fire detector with her one good arm. Her shirt lifts up a bit and I can see bandages all over her abdomen, probably from the road rash from the crash.

She lets out a slight squeal of pain as she reaches the fire detector and pulls it from the wall. Seeing her in pain makes me frown, and I feel helpless chained to this bed.

She limps over to me and I see in her hands that she got out of the drawer is a pack of cigarettes. She hands me one and I place it on my lips. She lights hers first, then leans over me to light mine. I let my eyes wander down her shirt as she leans in to me. I avert my eyes quickly when she leans away and sits back at the chair.

I take a long heavy drag of the cigarette before taking it from my lips. I feel myself instantly calm down and the edge subsides.

"The cigarettes are Dr. Moore's." She explains. "Ironic, I know."

"Why are you here?" I ask her with cautious eyes and she sighs.

She takes another hit of the cigarette and holds it in for a moment, before exhaling the smoke. "I wanted to see you." She says and my heart practically beats out of my chest. "They told me that you weren't talking to anyone or eating."

"So, they sent you in to get me to talk?" I say upset with her intentions.

"They don't know I am here." She says looking away from me and out the window. "Caleb wants to keep us separated, or at least monitored if we are together. I wonder if he thinks we are going to lose our minds and hump like rabbits if left alone, or something."

The idea of her naked underneath me gets me aroused, but I quickly try to purge the idea out of my head. I swallow hard and look at her, "then why are you here?"

"I am curious about you." She admits and takes another drag. "I have little memories of you, but from what I do remember, you were sweet… and caring."

"What do you remember?" I ask her.

She looks at me for a long moment and I think that she won't tell me, when she finally speaks up and says, "I remember the Animus." She swallows hard. "It always made you sick, and you threw up a lot getting out of it." She says and I stiffen. "I remember the night the Assassins raided the compound, and you telling me that we had to hide, but I don't remember you telling them to take me."

"What do you remember of Vidic?" I ask her and she tenses.

"I remember being afraid of him. And his smell. I hated his musky smell." She looks down at her hands, fidgeting with her nails while still holding the cigarette between her index and middle finger.

I take another drag and I watch her carefully.

"I don't remember it… if that's what you're wondering." She finally says, "I don't remember him… touching—" she stops, her face contorting in disgust. "I know that it's hard to hear, and you don't believe Caleb and what he is saying. But it's true. Even though I don't remember it exactly… I know it to be true. I can feel it when I think about him." I frown at her and she continues. "I dream about it sometimes, and that's when I start to remember more. But then I push it away and try not to think about it."

I swallow hard at her words and try to think about what to say to her. I thought that I got the shit end of the stick by being cast out on the streets; but having the Nano-transmitter in my brain to suppress all these memories now seems like a blessing in disguise.

"Caleb has been an angel through this all. He helped me through the depression and self-hate, taught me how to channel it into my fighting, and helped me become a better Assassin for it." She sighs as she takes the last of her cigarette. "I had practically repressed all of the memories until I saw you in Dharavi. I almost crashed my bike right there when we locked eyes while I was driving away." She says, speaking of the moment where time felt like it slowed down when I first saw here. Behind her helmet I could see nothing, but she could see me entirely.

"That's when you decided to shoot me with your Uzi?" I ask her with a hoarse tone.

"You did kill 3 of my team members." She says lowly and not playfully.

I frown at her demeanor. I don't know what to say. I am not sorry, as they were my targets and would have killed me the same.

"Sorry about the whole… throwing you off your bike… thing…" I say, trailing off not knowing how to apologize for that.

She lets out a confused scoff mixed with a laugh. "Yeah, you broke my ribs, and elbow, and collar bone, and caused severe internal bleeding, and put me in a coma for 3 weeks, and—"

"Yeah," I stop her, "I get it… I am an asshole." I say, "But you gave me lead poisoning, and shattered my femur and—" I stop when she smiles and feel nothing but warmth fill my body. "It's weird," I tell her. "Caleb is right about my feelings for you." She looks at me with surprised eyes. "I would do anything to make you happy."

She looks down sheepishly at the comment, and I smile at her. I hear the door to my room click open and I look over at who is ruining my moment with her.

I look to see that it is the tool that visited me when I first woke. He looks at us and tenses at the sight he stumbled on. He approaches Mariah who is sitting on the chair next to my bed.

He sniffs, then groggily says, "You're smoking?" he looks at her with angry eyes and his chest is puffed out in anger. The sight makes me tense. "Since when did you start smoking again?" He asks.

"I needed something to relieve the edge." She says simply.

He takes her head in his hands and kisses the top of her head lovingly. She sits there watching me the entire time. I feel myself getting angry, and jealous of his touch, but I try to contain my feelings.

"Caleb is looking for you." He says pulling away from her.

"I was making sure he was eating." She says explaining her presence here. He looks at her skeptically and she says, "He doesn't do us much good if he starves to death." She says coldly and I tense my jaw at the comment.

"Whatever," he says disinterested. "Caleb wants to see you. He wants to discuss some things with you."

"I'll be right there." She says and he doesn't move. She shoots him an annoyed glance. "Can I have a moment please?"

"I think you have had plenty." He says. She swallows hard and looks at me, wanting to say more to me.

She gets up slowly and leaves the room, looking back at me once more, until she is skirted out the room by him, leaving me in the room, once again, all alone.


End file.
